Mommy's little helper

Lyle is starting to get interested in the kitchen. He's asking me what's the thing I'm holding or the vegetable I'm chopping and he tries to imitate what I'm doing.  It made me happy and proud when he said "Mommy, can I help you?" Of course this would mean that the kitchen will be messier if I let him but I dont want to put off the helpful spirit  he has on that moment. I assigned him the task of chopping the stalks of spinach. We search for the toy surgical knife from his play doctor set and that's what he used for chopping. He started his task and was so serious at it and at the same time having fun =) Here's a photo of Lyle while helping me in the kitchen.

This is just a start of Lyle's adventure in the kitchen. As for now, I'll just follow his interest and encourage him. I'll try my best not to worry so much about the mess (fellow moms, I know you unnderstand what I mean.. hehe). And of course, I'll schedule our cooking session when I'm not in a hurry and I have all the patience I can muster.

Here are some tips from a Babycenter guest blogger on how to have fun in the kitchen with your kids:

1. Do all your preparations before hand ~ unless you like getting them to help you find the ingredients needed. This just speeds up the process.

2. Find safe ways to involve them ~ I wouldn’t recommend they chop up the vegetables with the butcher knife, but they can do a lot more than you probably think.

3. Choose simple recipes ~ especially when first starting out. You don’t want to go big at first becuase you may end up frustrated and never want to cook with them again.

4. Allow taste testing ~ I know you stick your finger in to give it a taste so let them too! My favorite part of baking with my mom was licking the spoon, or the entire bowl for that matter.

5. Ask questions ~ “What do you think goes in next?” Kids can have a short attention span at the best of times and this will keep them interested.

6. Teach them a good chef always cleans up ~ There’s something very satisfactory when you’re done and it’s all cleaned up. Clutter/mess is just added stress you don’t need.

7. Take lots of pictures! ~ I don’t know about your kids, but my kids love to be the center of attention and with today’s digital generation, they love seeing themselves “on film”.

Here's the link to the the article - 7 tips for cooking with your kids

Lyle's good behavior at church

Last Sunday is very memorable for me because for the first time that Lyle was able to finish the the 1-hour mass without any tantrums and we didn't have to leave the church earlier. He is still making some fuss but they were manageable =) Looking forward for next Sunday's mass.

Below is an article from BabyCenter.com about some tips/advice on how you can get your toddler to sit still during church service. The one that works best for us is finding a seat that's along a side aisle and near the door so we can easily escape in case of emergency i.e. tantrums, crying, shouting. hehe

 

How can I get my toddler to sit still during church services?

Our church doesn't have a childcare program. How can I get my toddler to sit still during services?

 

Expert Answers

Patricia Henderson Shimm, parent educator and author

Toddlers have a limit to how long they can sit still, wherever you may be. Your daughter's too young to pay attention to the service, and eventually her natural toddler energy will make her want to get up and go. So instead of planning to attend the service for the entire time with a well-behaved toddler (probably a bit unrealistic), your best bet is to devise ways to keep her occupied. Before you leave for the service, pack her a bag with some of her favorite books, crayons and paper, a juice box, and maybe even a snack, as long as it's something she can eat quietly (nothing too crunchy!). When you get to church, try to find seats along a side aisle so you're away from the center of activity and she has space on the floor to play. Be prepared to take her outside a few times during the service so she doesn't get antsy. You and your partner can tag team, so that each of you gets to attend part of the service while the other entertains her outside. Another possibility is to organize your day so that your toddler is tired by the time you go to church — for example, you could skip her afternoon nap before an evening service, or wake her up early and take her out to play before a morning service. If she's tuckered out, she may fall asleep on your lap, thus allowing you to enjoy the service in peace.

While it's understandable that you'd want your daughter to join you at church, it's best to keep your expectations low. To a child this age, attending services may be no different from a long wait at the doctor's office. When she's a little older, she'll be able to participate more meaningfully.


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Whew! This saved me from my unnecessary worry

I'm so glad I had found this article from BabyCenter. This really helped a lot and knowing that I'm not the only mom undergoing the same situation.

Is it normal that my preschooler pretends that everything is a gun?

Expert Answers
The BabyCenter Editorial Team
Yes. It may be a little unsettling to see your cherubic little guy blasting away at everything in sight like a miniature John Wayne, but this behavior is definitely normal.

"I hear this question quite frequently in my practice, particularly from parents of boys," says pediatrician Ari Brown, co-author of Baby 411 and Toddler 411 and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. It seems there are quite a few mini John Waynes stomping about.

Why do children do this? According to Brown, part of the reason might be that they're mimicking grown-ups. This doesn't mean that these children come from violent homes, however. Images of guns are all around us — on the evening news, for example. Children who pretend to shoot each other may simply be playacting what they see on television.

But we can't chalk it all up to exposure. Even children with limited access to violent images can become enthralled with pretend guns, and experts can't really explain why.

While the behavior is common, there are times when it can get out of hand. Perhaps your child is playing pretend shoot 'em up to the exclusion of other games. If this is the case, you may want to help him branch out.

Brown suggests that you start by thinking about what your child sees and hears. Is the news on during dinner? Is an older brother playing aggressive computer games in the living room? Reducing your child's exposure to these types of things will give him less fodder for his own reenactments.

Along with working to discourage pretend gunplay, Brown suggests parents go a step further and offer suggestions for other types of pretend play. For example, suggest playing "restaurant" and have your child be the waiter, or play "school bus" and your child can be the driver.

"Sometimes offering suggestions to a child who's obsessed with guns will help him start to think outside the box," says Brown. Your little one may be stuck in a gun rut for now, but once he understands the sheer vastness of the make-believe world, he'll probably step out of it.

Article Source:  BabyCenter - Is it normal that my preschooler pretends that everything is a gun?

Sharing in a toddler's point of view

My husband and I taught (and constantly teaching) Lyle about sharing. "Share your toys with your baby brother", "Sharing is good" that's what we'll always say. This would be a perfect world if he will just do as we say and would always let his brother play with his toys. When Lance wants to play with the toys he is playing he will put it under the chair or table where his brother can't reach it - this is the reason why Lance is so good going under chairs and tables (see this very cute photo below) or sometimes he would give a toy to Lance but it's because it's not he's favorite and doesn't want it.

I remember a funny mommy experience, Lyle was playing with my umbrella  and I need to get it from him and when I'm taking it out of his hand he said "Mommy, share". He knows the concept of sharing its just that share means sharing things to him and not him sharing things to others. I did let him play with the umbrella because the moment called to lead by example. Sharing is a skill that develops over some years. Knowing that Lyle is just acting his age helps to keep us sane =) We just need to be patient and keep on teaching him and soon he'll get the knack of it.